Ode to Air

Air, air, it’s everywhere,
In your face and in your hair
It can be a gentle breeze,
It leaves your mouth when you sneeze,
It can be a strong gust,
It can carry debris or dust.
So when you feel air blow by,
Just remember to say “hi.”

Air, air, in the sky,
It can carry a plane or a fly,
Sweet air, cradle of life,
Protect it, without any strife.
You inhale it,
You exhale it,
If of air we were deprived,
None of us would have survived

Air, air it’s so great,
About that there is no debate,
You don’t have to be quiet,
Feel free to start a riot.
Let’s work on the solution,
To curb the air pollution,
And make sure no one protests,
That air needs our best.

“SuJok” is a combination of two words. In Korean ‘Su’ means hands and ‘Jok’ means feet. Thus, SuJok actually means treating on hands and feet. SuJok Acupuncture is a Physical & Metaphysical, Natural Therapy of healing without drugs. Acupuncture and Acupressure is done in mostly all parts of the body. But SuJok focus only on Hand and Feet as per it’s name origin.

Stimulating the particular points helps to increase the energy flow to the particular organ and keep the organ healthy. If you had tried clapping your hands as a therapy, You will feel it.

Crowned as ‘the King of Spices’ and wholly packed with large amount of solar energy, Pepper is also called as Marich, which is the Sanskrit name for Sun. Ayurveda recommends Black pepper and its essential oil for treating asthma, sinus congestion, chronic indigestion, cold and other respiratory infections, obesity, improper metabolism, urinary problems, cholera, headache, intermittent fever, toxic remains in the system and for certain other health issues.

The legendary Roman book ‘The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,’ written by Edward Gibbon quotes pepper as “a favorite ingredient of the most expensive Roman cookery“.

Surya Namaskara or the Sun Salutation has a great energizing effect on the body, prana and mind. In Sanskrit, ‘Surya’ means the sun and ‘Namaskara’ means the salutation. Surya Namaskara consists of a series of yoga postures. There are 12 yoga poses performed in sequence. Surya Namskara is usually done in the morning during sunrise, facing the rising sun. It may also be done during sunset, again facing the setting sun.

Surya or the Sun God has been given great importance from the Vedic culture which sees divinity in the whole of creation. The Sun is called ‘Pratyaksha Narayana’ or God in the living form, which can be perceived by our naked eyes. The sun provides the energy that makes life possible on earth. Surya Namaskara is a form of worship to the Sun God, Surya. Each of the 12 poses has a specific mantra that the practitioner may optionally recite mentally. Each of those mantras is a name of the Sun-God, describing his glory.

Turmeric “the golden spice of life” is one of most essential spice used as an important ingredient in culinary all over the world. In the 13th century, writing about his travels in China, Marco Polo mentioned “a vegetable which has all the properties of the true saffron, as well as the colour, and yet it is not really saffron”. He was describing turmeric.

Turmeric has at least 6,000 years of documented history of its use in Ayurvedic medicines and socio-religious practices. The world is waking up to the natural healing and anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, which have been used since the vedic ages in the Indian subcontinent. Of late, modern medicine has started to recognize its importance, as indicated by turmeric’s presence in more than 3,000 publications in the last 25 years.

Tulasi has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda for its diverse healing properties. It is mentioned in the Charaka Samhita, an ancient Ayurvedic text. Tulsi is considered to be an adaptogen, balancing different processes in the body, and helpful for adapting to stress. Marked by its strong aroma and astringent taste, it is regarded in Ayurveda as a kind of “elixir of life” and believed to promote longevity.

Today, Shukla Ekadashi of the Hindu calendar, is Gita Jayanti, the birthday of the Bhagavad Gita. Must be one of the only books to have its birthday celebrated. One of the best places online to explore this ancient text is The Gita Supersite, India’s first cultural informatics project. Had contributed to it when I was at IIT Kanpur

“From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures.” – Adi Sankara

“When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.” – Mahatma Gandhi